In case you hadn't noticed, the United States is experiencing what might be described as a minor existential crisis. This year's presidential election is a race between two widely despised individuals—Donald Trump, a 78-year-old convicted felon, and Joe Biden, a feeble 81-year-old with minimal cognitive function who seems unfazed by the fact that most voters think he's unfit to serve.
How did we get here? We got here because of the political misadventures of one man: Barack H. Obama, the malignant narcissist and former president of the United States who didn't actually want the job but thought it would look good on his résumé. Here are six ways Obama's actions between 2006-2023 helped bring about America's unfolding political crisis.
1) He ran for president. Even though he had no business doing so. Obama announced his candidacy for president in February 2007, just two years after getting elected to the U.S. Senate. His accomplishments up to that point included writing two memoirs by the age of 45. If Obama hadn't run for president then, Hillary Clinton probably would have won the nomination and lost the general election to John McCain because most American can't stand her. For obvious reasons.
2) He picked Joe Biden. Obama considered a handful of boring old white guys to be his running mate in 2008 before settling on Biden, who at that point had served in the Senate for 35 years. Obama and his advisers reportedly assessed that Biden, a twice-failed presidential candidate in his mid-60s, was unlikely to harbor any remaining presidential ambitions. (Wrong.) Needless to say, if Obama had picked another running mate, Biden would still be serving in the U.S. Senate, where having dementia and refusing to resign isn't as frowned upon.
3) He made fun of Donald Trump at "nerd prom" and annoyed him into running for president. Obama repeatedly mocked Trump to his face at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2011, an experience that "accelerated [Trump's] ferocious efforts to gain stature within the political world," according to the New York Times. Absent this moment, fueled by Obama's unquenchable lust for praise, Trump might still be hosting The Apprentice today.
4) He destroyed America's greatness. Donald Trump ran for president in 2016 to make America great again. If Obama had pursued good policies that strengthened America, as opposed to bad policies than weakened America, then Trump wouldn't have had to sacrifice his successful business career to save the country he loved.
5) He backed Hillary in 2016. Obama underestimated Biden's desire to run for president again, so he had to pressure his VP to stay on the sidelines by making clear that Hillary Clinton was his chosen successor. She also happened to be one of the worst presidential candidates in American history, and perhaps the only individual in America capable of losing an election to Donald Trump.
6) He failed to stop Biden from running again. Biden was pretty aggrieved by Obama's unwillingness to support his ambitions in 2016. The snub of his former boss probably made Biden even more likely to run in 2020 out of spite. Once again, Obama tried to talk him out of running. He was worried Biden would tarnish his legacy and "embarrass himself on the campaign trail." It didn't work. Four years later, all of Obama's worst fears have come true, but he has only himself to blame.